War Eagle!

Not just an Auburn rally cry

This past week, it was announced that Arkansas is set to undertake a 400-mile stream restoration effort along War Eagle Creek and its tributaries which flow through Madison, part of Benton and a small portion of Washington counties. According to Doug Thompson’s article in the paper, this will be the largest stream restoration project in state history.

Funding to the tune of $3.9 million will come courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior, said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Among the 15 organizations of the War Eagle Creek Collaborative Restoration Initiative are the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the non-profit Beaver Watershed Alliance, local governments and landowners.

Secretary Haaland says the project will fight climate change in the form of replacing four low-water crossings of the creek with bridges to restore the stream in the area of the removed Huntsville dam, and help pay for tree replanting and other restoration work along the creek.

Work on the project has already begun, and what was expected to take four years is now expected to be completed in 18 months as a result of the funding. The federal funds will also go towards biological sampling and testing to make sure the project helps native fish and wildlife as intended, something local sources would not have covered.

It seems that clearing away trees and other plants from stream banks and barriers contributes to the erosion of silt, which then builds up and collects at low-water-level crossing points. This makes it difficult for native water species to move naturally in streams.

The higher bridges, ostensibly built on stilts, should eliminate this challenge.

The problem of erosion is not unique to War Eagle Creek. Studies of the Illinois and White Rivers whose headwaters are located in Northwest Arkansas identify erosion as the main cause of the degradation of otherwise relatively clean water.

This is an important point as the creek and the White River are the main tributaries of Beaver Lake, which provides drinking water to roughly 550,000 area residents.

Somebody has to do the work, and that means more jobs for bustling Northwest Arkansas, even if they’re only temporary. Whether addressing climate change, clean water or creating jobs is the priority, it can only be seen as a positive for the Natural State.